Some explanation is needed...

[0ctavias0fferings]

.. to new members who end up with a strikethru. I understand that no email is sent explaining why this has happened or what the member needs to do to regain good standing on ebid. This is incredibly unfriendly towards new members and I believe it drives people away. I would certainly not return to a site which suspended my account without explanation. It has happened recently to two buyers who bought and paid immediately. Such people need to be cherished not driven away!

The OP here highlights the problem which is being caused by emails going to spam.

As I pointed out, this consistently happens with the emails I receive from eBid.

This is the most likely reason for new buyers to get a quick strike through and they are then highly unlikely to come back.

We are all looking for a solution to this and, since you can't force emails spam filters to behave as you (the sender) want them to, the simple solution is what I have suggested.

Do you want buyers?

Do you want buyers who return?

What is important?

[emporiumdays]

We're trying to not 'lose' new buyers/members unless there proves to be a valid reason for doing so....

Doesn't Octavia's suggestion solve this problem?

[emporiumdays]

aaaaaa

The only real solution is to enable 'guest buyers'.

If the option to become fully registered and verified is offered (explaining the benefits of doing so) alongside the option to be a 'guest buyer', then those who choose full registration will know to look out for an email to complete the process.

Those choosing to be 'guest buyers' can just carry on and make their purchase without being struck through for not verifying themselves.

Win, win.

Can anyone think of a better way to address madelaine's original concerns?

[HelenAndGraham]

If I go to a website - any website - and complete the purchase of something I would feel as if I've done all that is necessary to honour my part in the transaction and certainly wouldn't expect any kind of criticism thereafter.

If I choose to ignore emails after I've purchased and paid it is probably because I'm not interested in, what I might reasonably assume is, follow up spam. Of course the emails may also get filtered to extinction by the various spam traps anyway.

So, whether or not I receive a nicely worded email, ignore a nicely worded email or never receive a nicely worded email, if I return to find my online Identity has been trashed for all to see I would leave, never return and bad mouth the site in question whenever I was prompted.

Do people care about the buyer experience being delivered in their name?

[ropegg]

Does anyone truly realize how much damage has been and is being done from the strikethroughs that seem to be trying to make eBid a super protected area in a very competitive online world. Is the % of good really worth the % of loss no matter what the reason is for the strike????? Maybe the reason for a strikethrough should be changed.

All strikethroughs are not on newbies.

I don't know what the answers are to get and/or keeping buyers on eBid but I personally would rather take the risk that I will have a buyer do something wrong and have buyers that can make a purchase than to make sure there is not an opportunity for a buyer to do something wrong (or something wrong again depending on the severity) and also greatly remove the opportunity for a sale. I certainly don't see where one single bid should EVER result in a strike and I think that happens often.

I have seen where so many are looking for ebayers to come here because of what they are doing to the seller over there but what good it is if they come and find out about the eBid buyer situation we have. I am very concerned about losing buyers because they make a bid whether they are newbies or oldies. Striking out buyers seems to be out of hand.

Until this year I have listed almost nothing on ebay since I became an eBid member ---- here is why.

First of all I like eBid.

I could not afford to list my items as I know they will seldom sell immediately and I could not afford the fees incurred without an item selling. I could not afford to take the chance so I have listed on eBid just waiting for an odd sale now and then --- and during this time people (NOT ALL NEWBIES) have been driven away from eBid by bidding not only on my items but many others too.

I am probably one of the few that the recent changes on ebay may be good for as I can afford list there again though it be in a SMALLER way and not as convenient as I can on eBid with the same option I originally came to eBid for -- no fees unless my item sells. I make the same profit from the ebay sale because I raise the price to cover the extra fees if my item sells. If the item doesn't sell it will cost me the same as if it had been listed on eBid --- nothing. I make sure I don't pay for any extras just like I do on eBid and I use whatever I need to to be sure I don't pay for pictures. For me there cost for not selling and the profit is the same ---- the opportunity to actually have a bidder make a purchase is the difference. This needs to be corrected on the eBid side. When a buyer comes to eBid find a reason to not lose them and hold on tight.



I LIKE eBid better than ebay in many many many *** almost all *** ways but even though ebay may let undesirable buyers on their site they seem to realize that sellers are of little value without buyers.

This year I have sold 3 item because of the 250 or more items I have had listed on eBid and I have sold 8 items because of the 50 or so items I have listed on ebay with exactly the same profit from the sale and same cost for listing unsold items but I would rather have made all the sales on eBid.


Another thing I think the lack of getting and keeping buyers on eBid is causing is the lack of seller attention and concern for their stores. For example this link will show the offer I made through ask a question to a rather new seller and the response I got a month later (you can guess where I made my purchase). The response was great the timing was awful but I wonder if more buyers being active on the site would keep sellers more attentive.

I don't know how to solve the buyer problem but I sure hope and pray that it gets solved soon. My preference is by far eBid if buyers were only treated better.

[starlady22]

A little clarification.

I am not talking about altering the way that eBid deals with people who sign up to bid in auctions. I am ONLY talking about options for new buyers who, it certainly would appear, do not want to go through the full verification process in order to buy a few items now and then.

These are the buyers who are arriving and very quickly getting a strike through because, for whatever reason (emails to spam or just don't want to, it doesn't matter) do not complete the verification process and when (if) they come back for another purchase, find they have been struck through.

Those buyers are never coming back here.

It is the sellers who currently put in the effort to bring the buyers onboard, as we are all aware, eBid concentrates on bringing in new SELLERS.

It is therefore our efforts, as sellers, in bringing the buyers here which is being made a mockery of by the system's insistance that the buyer must completely verify themselves or be struck through.

Those buyers being struck through are NOT going to come back again and they will NOT recommend the site to friends, losing us even more potential customers.

I have suggested a solution.

No-one joining up as a guest buyer would be able to bid on an auction, only fully verified members could do so.

Guest buyers must pay for their purchases before the item actually comes up as sold - therefore there is no problem with wasting time reclaiming fees for unpaid items.

Guest buyers, not being full members, would not be able to leave feedback, no problem there then with negs just for the sake of it.

It doesn't require massive recoding of the site, in fact, it's a little side routine, an option offered so that the buyer can just pop in and purchase, using a shopping cart which probably would be best to accept payment through Paypal.

I don't see how anyone could possibly have a problem with that.


Is it really so difficult to understand and why do people want to put obstacles in the way of a simple solution which might actually mean that all the effort put in to bringing buyers here wouldn't be entirely wasted.

I don't have a problem with that, in fact i think you have some really good ideas.

Most of my buyers are 0 feedback, and have joined the same day they bought from me, and some of them now have a strike through there name.
If i was to come to a place to buy something in particular, and then had to jump through hoops just to buy it, i personally wouldn't bother.

So I totally agree with you.

Jane

[dave1066]

Easy problem to fix, don't put the strike on a member unless they have done something serious wrong or left.
I cannot see what verifications you can do on a buyer any way other than to verify email address. Don't see why you even need to add an address as that is supplied when you make payment.
Phone or IP address does not mean much as most people have other means to go online as well. My household has home broadband, mobile broadband and at least 5 mobiles.

I think most of these problems are because of the Buddy Points system. That's why they want to make checks.

[Tropical_Trish]

Don't mention buddy points to me - sore subject.
See other posts.

[tonyreddevil]

like me Trish

[ukcoins]

I don't have a problem with that, in fact i think you have some really good ideas.

Most of my buyers are 0 feedback, and have joined the same day they bought from me, and some of them now have a strike through there name.
If i was to come to a place to buy something in particular, and then had to jump through hoops just to buy it, i personally wouldn't bother.

So I totally agree with you.

Jane

they did this to me when i joined, i paid straight away for life time membership once they had took my money they blocked my account and asked for various documents to be sent to them for proof of who i was, its a joke they should of done all this before they took my money the only reason i stayed was i had paid for the life time membership, if i had not paid them any money i would of just gone and never come back, im amazed at the amount of people who state this site is just so much better than fleebay but the truth is this site is nowhere near as professional as fleebay, if ebid want to attract some serious professional sellers who do it for a living and want to keep them they need to make changes, without professional sellers the site will go nowhere as there will never be the amount or variety of merchandise need to keep buyers and attract new buyers, most members just seem more than happy to state how good it is here compared to fleebay if they are just a very casual seller i suppose they have some sort of point but thats were it stops, to a professional seller theres just no comparison fleebay is just miles ahead, all of these members should be more concerned in constantly getting at the management to make the changes needed to improve the site, you only have to take a good look at whats being sold to see theres just a serious lack of major sellers resulting in every category having a major lack of goods available to buyers, how can anybody seriously think they can keep buyers when theres not the goods they are after, you cant see whats been bid when you search a item a seller cant see if he has any watchers just 2 basic points you can only conclude these are not show as the management don't want people to see how few items get bid and the sellers would then know for sure they also have no watchers, they are just pulling the wool over your eyes and doing there best to hide the facts, if they wasn't these very basic options would be in place, the site is a nice site for casual sellers but thats all its going to be unless some serious changes take place,